The Little Willie Center was founded in 1990 as an organization to address the needs of latchkey children, whose parents work, seek employment, or attend school and as a result, must leave their children home alone. Despite adversity, the center has successfully operated for the past 24 years. The center is located in the heart of West Greenville, and despite the area’s reputation, the center provides a safe alternative to being home alone. With this in mind, parents are granted peace of mind knowing their children are loved and encouraged to strive for excellence in not only their school lives, but their personal lives as well.
Volunteers are extremely important to the center’s mission. Our volunteers are ordinary people with God-given gifts; from college students to retired educators, medical students, sorority and fraternity members, ministers, manufacturing workers, administrators, housewives and community leaders. Our center’s staff is full of trained professionals who hold degrees in Human Services, Business Administration, Education, and Mental Health. We realize that some people cannot afford childcare services, forcing them to leave their children home alone. With that in mind, we provide services for free to all children who are enrolled. Our founder came up with the idea of parents giving back to the community while also enhancing their parenting skills. Every parent must volunteer two hours every week in the center, attend Basic Adult Education classes taught at our center by a Pitt Community College instructor and attend monthly parent meetings. Other services offered are tutoring/mentoring, transportation, nutritious meals, survival skill classes, PSR Big Buddy Program through the ECU Medical School, Girl and Boy Scouts of America, 4-H Club, and Bible study.
I have a right to be happy, and to be treated with
I have a right to be myself in this room;
I have a right to be safe in this room;
I have a right to hear and be hear in this room;
I have a right to learn about myself in this room;